Subsea7 CEO to retire; Successor named

Subsea7 announced that CEO John Evans will retire on June 30, 2026, after a 40‑year career with the company and its predecessors. The board plans to nominate him for a director position at the company's May 12 annual general meeting.

Evans has held the role of CEO since January 2020.

He will be succeeded on July 1 by Stuart Fitzgerald, currently CEO of Seaway7. Fitzgerald, who joined Subsea7 in 1998, has held senior roles including EVP commercial and EVP strategy and alliances, and he is also proposed as CEO of Subsea7 within the planned Saipem7 merger. 

Completion of the proposed Saipem/Subsea7 combination, following regulatory approvals, is targeted for the second half of 2026.

Fitzgerald holds degrees in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. Following graduation, he worked for Australian Marine and Offshore Group as a graduate engineer in Melbourne, Australia, followed by an engineer and senior engineer with Worley Engineering in Melbourne and Brunei.

He then joined Subsea 7 in 1998, holding positions such as senior engineer, lead engineer, project engineering manager, discipline lead engineer, project manager, senior project manager, and Norway head of sales and marketing. He also served as VP Norway (2009-2014) and VP sales and marketing for Northern Hemisphere and Life of Field (2015-2016), until his current role as VP strategy and technology. He is based in Stavanger, Norway.